18 May, 2021
💞 Dear Royal Praying Priests, shalom!
💎 “But you will receive power when the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and through all Judah, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Act 1:8, TLV)
This year Shavuot began at the sundown on Sunday, 16 May, and will end this evening. Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals on which the Jewish people were commanded to go up (ascend) to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The other two festivals are Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).
“Shavuot” means “weeks” in Hebrew, and it is also known as Pentecost in English. It is on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, which is seven weeks after the second day of Pesach (Passover). Shavuot is an ancient wheat harvest festival, and the Book of Ruth is read during this time. Based on Exodus 19, it is traditionally identified as the anniversary of the giving of Torah by God on Mount Sinai about 3,300 years ago. According to Acts 2, when approximately 120 followers of Yeshua gathered in Jerusalem for the Shavuot celebration, the Holy Spirit fell on them in the Upper Room. Apostle Peter then spoke to the Shavuot crowd and the kehilah (church or ekklesia) was born!
This year you are encouraged to meditate on the Book of Ruth, give thanks to God for the giving of the Torah, praise Him and pray for the local kehilah (church) that you go to, or open your mouth wide and ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit powerfully, so you may bear His name and take the gospel to the nations!
🙏 Dear Father, please come and visit us again. Shower us with Your great love and unlimited power as we long for Your presence and a greater harvest in our midst. Please empty us so we may be filled again by Your Spirit. Please humble us so we may be lifted up again for Your purpose. We understand the time is short and the urgency is great, and make us ready to share Your wonderful message at our homes, in the workplaces, campuses, communities, cities and nations! In the name of Yeshua we pray and bless You, Amen.